scary, just like real life

 I started Zero Day on the Flix® last night. Robert De Niro has not lost a step and Jesse Plemons is always terrific. Also fun to see Joan Allen again and Angela Bassett is impressive. 

I got a feeling...

 Yesterday on my neighborhood walk I passed by this cheery scene outside a NOT fancy little residence and I just knew in my heart that I would like the person(s) who created this lovely, colorful front "yard". I bet you would like them too.

great short films

 Yesterday I met Amy at the Opera Plaza theatre for an afternoon of very well done shorts. We did this last year and it is such a treat to see so much talent all at once. I think, all in all, we saw nine (or ten?) excellent shorts from all around the world. 

Season 3, episode 1

 Off we go to Thailand and all that gorgeous scenery and the monkeys and the crazy guests. I'm a fan of Walter Goggins who plays Rick, Parker Posey as the snobby Mrs. Ratliff and Patrick Schwarzenegger (!) is the obnoxious Saxon Ratliff. Outstanding photography once again for all of us who love The White Lotus. 

most of my tv weekend

 Fifty years of Saturday Night Live ~ the music and the history and all the people involved. Just like the weekly programs there were hits and misses with the celebration, but all in all a good thing for the stars and their fans. And god knows we need a laugh or two these days.

so true

 We saw this on a pick-up truck in the neighborhood on our walk yesterday. 

Valentine's dinner 2025

 Tons of Indian food provided by Jen with the two dogs. Really, it was such a generous feast and I am still full this morning with lots of little left over plastic containers in my refrigerator for tonight's dinner. Yum!

words to calm us

 Trump and his band of billionaires are doing their best to overwhelm us. Here are a few wise words from a sociologist. In the meantime, there is effective resistance everywhere, especially in the courts. 

The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement. What now?

1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context.

5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.

Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance".

the rains are here

 “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” –        Benjamin Franklin

So glad I "did" Costco yesterday and I have a lot of food and supplies and I will probably stay in today to catch up on my reading and I will avoid sloshing about in our much needed rain. I did get a good walk with Jen and the Two Dogs yesterday afternoon so maybe some exercises and stretches today will keep me somewhat OK. Motion is Lotion, or so my acupuncturist tells me.

a Sunday splurge

 Yesterday I bought a ticket to the ACT's Strand for Eddie Izzard's performance here in April. I remember when he visited Borders and was one of the nicest and best of the celebrities. So I will see him the Sunday before I go on the big Danube trip and this Hamlet is supposed to be fabulous. We all need treats these days.

back to cats (mine)

 My neighbor brought me a morning latte and her cat nail clippers for Annabelle who calmly tolerates the mani pedi as long as I sit in front of them and feed her (the feline) that Churo paste stuff. I just am sooooo fortunate to have the BEST neighbors and we all help each other in big and small ways. So much for those Uncaring Big City stories, right?

it was a dog

 The Super Bowl was boring except for the ads and half time. I did want to share some sweet dogs today, however. Here we have the Blogmaid Puppies in their winter plaid coats. Sabine is the oldest with the dark fur and Pito is her boyfriend, the white guy. Both are rescues living the good life in Pumpkinville with their three feline buddies. LUV.

Sunday in New Orleans

 I have vivid memories of rushing home from the Big Box Borders to watch the Super Bowl with Husbando, especially the ads and sometimes the game itself. Today I asked the Blogmaid to text me when and where it all starts because I like Taylor Swift and those lovable Clydesdale horses and delightful dogs. Maybe even the half time show. We shall see...

a walk in the nabe

 Greetings from this sparkler who was lounging in Bernal Heights on my walk with Jen and the two dogs yesterday. The sun was out after the rain and everything was clean and bright. In the morning I took a Zoom Tai Chi class which is a bit slow but probably good for me and I read the final New Yorker magazine of 2024, so all in all, a very fine Friday. More sun today ~ yay!

snowy murder mysteries

Many of us seem to be drawn to these Nordic cold-and-snow mystery stories. Count me in. The Are Murders takes place in Sweden. Only five episodes, so not a long binge for me. Find our brave woman detective (top photo) on Netflix.

 

the simple life

 I've been using  Turbo Tax for almost 10 years now. So yesterday I took an early nap, then fixed a second cup of coffee and unleashed my "you can do this" self-talk once again. These folks upgrade and change things every year, but I was finished in two hours. I have uncomplicated my life and finances and I think the IRS appreciates this.

a rainy day side trip

 Yesterday I started reading Orbital on my LIndaKindle4 and also using the Apple ear buds. This is such a lovely, slow way to read. Six people floating around in space. One of the Russian astronauts has a post card of this large painting by Diego Velazquez, Las Meninas (1656) and so I took a delightful detour on YouTube where I learned so much about the artist and those times. He and Philip IV of Spain became good friends even though artists were considered laborers in those days in Madrid. With all the world problems we are so fortunate to live in a world where this kind of knowledge is just a few clicks away.

another favorite artist

 I received an email this morning from Paul Madonna, a talented local artist. His work used to be in the Sunday Chronicle and I visited his studio once. Today he writes about losing three people last week including his grand mother, and it was a touching and sweet tribute to her and to two of his close friends who just died. Not depressing, just a reminder that we are all influencers ~ way before Tik Tok, etc.

glamour galore

 Nicole and Meredith joined me for the Grammy Awards last night. They brought dinner (oh so wise of them) and we settled in for three hours of glitz. I even knew some of the celebrities and that surprised me as it will you,

our next book club

 Orbital is a Booker Prize winning novel by Samantha Harvey and my friend Susan highly recommends it, so this was my choice for the March gathering which will be at my home. I will be "doing" dinner and I hope Door Dash is up to this challenge.

rain and tv and other non news

 Paradise is on Hulu and I liked the first episode a lot. Sterling K. Brown is fabulous as the secret service officer charged with protecting an ex-President who drinks too much. Check it out...

The World Since Yesterday

 I have known and loved Will Walker's writing for more than 20 years now. He is part of our Tiapos (This is a piece of shit) and/or Fluf  (Fucking love you folks) writing world and so of course I ordered his newest poetry book from Amazon. Here is one stunning poem from The World Since Yesterday.

Subversive

Because living is a tricky business,

I bless the earth while I can, by morning light, hoping

to emulate the finches flocking in the trellis out back,

an upturned forest of star jasmine and bougainvillea,

shades of green not yet in bloom, where the finches

seem content to perch and sing and fly to another perch

with no pattern I can discern, announcing daylight,

affirming all that has led me to watch them in their busywork,

the instant embrace of any available branch,

the glide through sunlight, the song of no occasion.

~ Will Walker

Chinese New Year's ~ celebrate!

 Sorry for the bad people photo, but the table at Pat's was gorgeous and we all had a fine time last night celebrating the Lunar New Year with noodles and green beans and fortune cookies and more. We tried to ignore politics but that didn't quite work out the way we planned. (OK, I meant that the photo was bad, the people are good. Trust me.)

curating and arranging

 The Blogmaid gifted me with three (3!) new pieces of Joan Brown art and yesterday Handy Jan came to hang them and to help me keep my little home safe and organized. The two new cat prints are downstairs in Emma's Room and the glorious "two dogs and toddler boy" are here in the living room where I can admire it often on a daily basis. The bottom photo is of an oil painting from my late friend Curtis Fields (1957, when he was just starting to paint) and it really works well downstairs. I need to keep my world small now with all the horrid world news, right?

Borders at Bodega

 As promised, here we have Dancing Jen, Shauna and your blogger last Saturday at the Bodega restaurant on Mason Street in SF. We three laughed and cried together over various small issues that our corporate bosses felt were VERY important when we worked at the big and difficult Borders big box bookstore at Post and Powell. It was quite wonderful catching up and my friends look fabulous, as you can surely see in the above photos.

Irish book, stew and movie

 Small Things Like These was the very moving book by Claire Keegan and after a delicious dinner we watched the movie on Prime TV. We all highly recommend both! Lee was our delightful hostess serving Irish lamb stew and of course since we believe in diversity we dabbled in German chocolate cake and Chinese fortune cookies with our English tea. A lovely time.

The Year of the Snake

 Re the Snake ~ this is not a political post. I was asked to bring "the best" fortune cookies to a Chinese New Year dinner next week and of course that means the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company in Ross Alley (2nd photo) where there was a line out the door. Getting there was great fun as Grant Avenue was closed to traffic and all the colorful children and vendors were out selling all sorts of red and gold snake stuff. I walked and walked and then met two wonderful friends for lunch and I will tell you about that at a later date. 

back to MOMA

 Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid were kind enough to include me on a trip to SF Moma yesterday and we had a splendid time revisiting Amy Sherald and Kara Walker (pictured here). A lovely lunch on the 5th floor and some smart shopping in the gift store. A lovely day indeed. I always see and learn something new when I visit an exhibit for the 2nd or even 3rd time. 

Oscar nominations

                                         Sunday, March 2nd ~ we have some "work" to do. 

Best Picture 

Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director 

Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Best Actor 

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best Actress 

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here

math nerds and mysteries

 I watched the first two episodes of the brand new Prime Target last night on Apple TV and it is pretty good despite all the genius mathematical business which many will find interesting. You might give it a try. Or not, but I will probably continue with more tonight.

Adam Gopnik in person

 It seemed like some sort of sign or omen when I read that Adam Gopnik was speaking at the Jewish Community Center on Husbando's birthday. So last night I hauled ass (via Lyft) to hear hm speak because he was always a favorite writer of Bill's and I like him too. I was hoping for a little more Jewish humor but it was still an interesting evening and I'm glad I went. The topic? Jews in the cities and yes, a strong turnout for this New Yorker essayist.

one rough yesterday

 Not only did we have the right wing show of horror in Washington, DC, but we learned of the way too early death of the amazing Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood and a long time women's right activist. Trying to shake despair today. RIP  Ms. Richards.